Till we meet again
by Diamonte-saber
Summary: 17 years after Satine's death Christian hears the Reaper's whisper and answers it's dark call


Till we Meet again  
  
17 years after Satine's death Christian feels the Reaper's whisper and answers it's dark call.  
  
The success of Christian's book and the play adaptation of it had crowned him a millionaire. But as the old saying goes, money did not bring him happiness in fact what it did bring him if anything was more pain. His Bohemian friends had disappeared along the way years ago in his whirlwind rise to fame and fortune. Although it was not at all hard for him to make friends, not for Christian James the millionaire! NO SIR! There where shallow greedy people everywhere who would have loved to hob-knob around Paris with him, trying to take advantage of his youth and new found money. Christian was far past his naivete, his persona had been hardened for quite sometime and he had no trouble relieving himself of these kind of people who so grossly reminded him of the Duke. Like leeches they were, so desperately holding on to what was not rightfully theirs. Christians life was but a sad and weary shadow of it's former self. He longed for the day it was to finally end and he would be...free again.  
  
One starry night Christian was out walking the streets of Montmatre as he often did, in silent solitude he stepped quietly through the back alleys. Donning his penniless poet costume so as not to be bothered he slipped through the darkness, from light to shadow and back again. He stood now, outside his old garret from which came the sound of lively music and singing and chattering and living. He realized then how out of touch he had become, his body the only sign he was still a part of the earth. He wondered if by chance that some of his old friends might be there. The happy memories they had shared he treasured above all his earthly possessions and he would so have liked to rekindle his past joy. Considering that he didn't care for what he had to lose he climbed the stairs to the garret.  
  
Upon reaching the door he discovered it ajar. Shouts and laughter spilled out through the opening and Christian swore that he could recognize the voices. Why it sounded like Toulouse...but he must be mistaken. He had been given word of Toulouse's death the previous year. He knocked on the door but there came no reply. He knocked harder calling out "Hello?" still no reply. Obviously they were too consumed in their own little worlds to have time for a lonely stranger such as he. He began to make his way down the stairs when a woman's laughter stopped him in his tracks. It couldn't be...no it wasn't her. It was just his mind playing tricks on him again, but even so he continued to listen. The woman was laughing and a man was speaking loudly and exuberantly.  
  
" NO Christian! No! That's my line! That's my line!!!!" It was Toulouse!  
  
"What? He must be going insane, or experiencing déjà vu because he was certain he had heard this before.  
  
He charged up the stairs, his heart pounding like a drum in anticipation, and threw open the door. What he saw before him was like a dream. The three people in the room did not stir they didn't even acknowledge his existence. He saw Satine, in all her beauty, snuggled up on the couch with his former self, both looking affectionately into each other's eyes. Toulouse was talking and eating a plate of kebabs at the same time as Christian had seen him do on this day all those years ago.  
  
This was strange, it was mind-boggling. He walked slowly around the room soaking in every little sensation. He stared mournfully at all he had taken for granted. This was his happiest memory. At this moment in time he had felt indestructible. He was invincible. Satine and all his friends loved him, he had his dreams and impending success awaiting him. Gone were the days of his suppressed childhood and the terrible future was unbeknownst to him. At this point in time everything was going his way. Life could be cruel and unpredictable...that was the one lesson he had learnt from all of this.  
  
He was invisible to the memory people and as time past he grew bolder. He ate a kebab from Toulouse's plate. He looked through the early stages of the script he had written for that ill-fated play, and made spelling corrections. Then he did what he had so been longing to do,. he sat on the other side of Satine and played with her hair. Her beautiful crimson hair. How many times had he done this before? Too many to count. Something was triggered in his mind and memories long forgotten came flooding back to him. He began to hum slowly at first the melody coming back to him as he went along... "and you can tell everybody that this is your song," he sang softly.  
  
Satine stopped talking and laughing and turned around looking directly into his eyes. Startled he fell off the couch and onto the floor. This made her smile and he smiled back sheepishly. He didn't know what to do, was she real?  
  
Satine now bean to sing, "it may be quite simple but now that it's done.Christian it's me" she turned back to the old Christian still sitting merrily on the couch as if she was still talking to him. He slowly began to fade until he was completely gone. She turned back to him.  
  
"This is where I have been for so long waiting for you... this haven in my memories, I was afraid you might have forgotten me..."  
  
"No never" he replied softly.  
  
" It doesn't matter any more, now that you're here with me" she smiled her face glowing with pleasure.  
  
" Am I dead?  
  
" Not to me"  
  
And they existed together in happiness for eternity.  
  
The End  
  
~* Diamonte Saber*~ 


End file.
